The final Taylor Johnston Early Music Series concert of the 2018-19 season presents an interesting concept: all music from composers born in the same year.
House of Time, a New York-based ensemble dedicated to sharing repertoire from the 17th through the 21st century, will present its program “1685: Year of Genius” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in Fairchild Theatre.
Though no one knew it at the time, the year 1685 proved to be an important one in music history with the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, George Fredrick Handel and Domenico Scarlatti. The House of Time repertoire for this concert celebrates this specific chapter in music history and the three men who became some of the most influential composers of all time.
“In the year 1685 artistic lighting struck three times, with the near simultaneous births of three incomparably great composers: Handel, the genius of Italian opera and inventor of the English oratorio; Bach, the Lutheran cantor and organist; and Domenico Scarlatti, the endlessly inventive master of the keyboard sonata,” said David Rayl, professor of music. “We are pleased to present House of Time in a concert featuring the music of these three icons of the Baroque era.”
House of Time is made up of a talented group of musicians, each proficient on instruments of our time and of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Members include Tatiana Daubek, violin; Gonzalo Ruiz, oboe and baroque oboe; Sarah Stone, cello and viola de gamba; and Leon Schelhase, harpsichord. Each has toured nationally with House of Time and as a soloist.
Taylor Johnston, the sponsor of the Early Music Series, recently retired from the faculty in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He combines his love of science with his passion for singing and playing early music on wind instruments, primarily the recorder.
The concert is reserved seating. Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors (age 60 and older) and $7 for students with ID and anyone under the age of 18, and can be purchased online, at the College of Music box office by phone or in person at the door.
For more information on the performance, click here.